Thank you. This is tremendous. For those of us who aren't actors it's really a thrill to be able to create a character and a performance like Kong. But I've got to say we had a great actor working with us the whole time to show us how it's done. I've got to thank Andy Serkis for really giving us the heart of Kong, thank you. Peter Jackson, Peter, thank you for continuing to surprise us, and delight us, guide us, and for making films that we all love. Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens thank you for giving us this incredible story, to our producers Carol Cunningham, Jan Blenkin, Eileen Moran, Annette Wullens thank you for keeping it all together. To everyone at WETA, just a fantastic group of artists, we loved working with you, thanks for your dedication and to all of our friends at Universal, thank you for making it all happen. Wow. Wow. All right, so I'm not winning director. It's the funny thing about winning an Academy Award, it will always be synonymous with your name from here on in. It will be Oscar winner, George Clooney. Sexiest Man Alive, 1997. Batman, died today in a freak accident at a -- Listen, I don't quite know how you compare art. You look at these performances this year, of these actors and unless we all did the same role, everybody put on a bat suit, and we'll all try that. Unless we all did the same role, I don't know how you compare it. They are stellar performances and wonderful work, and I'm honored, truly honored to be up here. And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while. I think it's probably a good thing. We're the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this Academy, proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch. And I thank you so much for this. Oh. Actually, we've got a little thing, just to match the old bow ties for coordination. We just happened to bring them along, just in case. Just want to give a great big thank you to Helena Bonham Carter, and particularly to Peter Sallis who has been the voice of Wallace. He's here tonight, ladies and gentlemen at the Oscars. He's been the voice of Wallace for the last 23 years and you've been an absolute gem, Peter and you've sparkled all the way. Also, thank you to Jeffrey Katzenberg and to Dreamworks, who also sparkle, and have been a great support to this very personal film of ours. And the whole crew back in Bristol, England at Aardman Animations thank you so much you're great. And a little message from Steve. Somebody once said if you make a bad film, you make it alone. If you make a great film, everybody made it with you. We all made it together, guys. Hi. I'd just like to thank everybody who was involved in the film, especially Brendan Gleeson and Ruaidhri Conroy. And Ruaidhri, I'm sorry that you couldn't be here tonight, but I hope next time if they let you into the country. I'd like to say hi to my mom and dad back in Ireland. And, a big hello to everyone involved with Lieutenant of Inishmore in Atlantic, New York. Thanks. Peggy and I thank the Academy for this great honor. And also for your faith in hand-drawn animation, which still can pack an emotional wallop. I want to thank my brother and sister Tony and Kathleen Cannizzaro. My talented life partner, Joseph Kennedy. Sheila Nevins, and Jackie Glover at HBO. Ron Sadoff's music, David Mehlman's wonderful editing. And all my students and colleagues at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Peg? Thank you to Eli Wallach and John Turturro for your sensitive vocal performances. Thank you to my brother Tom Stern, and my husband Alan Ruskin. And to those of you who are moms and juggle working in this business, you'll understand my tremendous thank you to my children, Ben and Emma, and my mom, Joanne Stern. Thanks. Thank you all very much. Oh, so many people to thank for making this film. It was an effort that circled the globe, and came together here in Los Angeles. Thanks to Sony Pictures who were brave enough to make a movie about a woman. Fantastic. Thank you very much to Rob Marshall, my fantastic director, whose vision I only share. To my amazing daughters who are with me here tonight. To my team of people who really kept it together for me, Cheryl, Christine, and Colleen. And to the most beautiful cast anybody could ever dream of dressing. And most of all, to the people of Japan, who gave me so much knowledge and grace. Thank you. Well, I'm just glad that Clooney doesn't do makeup. So it worked out well. This is really an amazing life. It all started when I was a little boy and my mother read me "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak and at that point I knew I wanted to go live with the monsters. Real quick I want to thank Disney, Mark Johnson, Walden Media, Cary Granat, Perry Moore, my partners in crime at K.N.B effects group, Robert Kurtzman and Gregory Nicotero. Everyone that was there with me through the journey a year and a half of this magnificent project. My Aslan, Andrew Adamson, my inspiration, Kelsey Travis and Jake, my best friend, Sandy. Rick Baker, Dick Smith, Stan Winston, Richard Taylor, Danny Striepeke, and I want to dedicate this to my parents Kenneth and Susan Berger, right now I know they're looking down upon me and saying we're proud of you that you're living with the monsters and running through the forest with the wild things. Thank you. Thank you so much to the Academy for this tremendous, tremendous honor. I share it with others, Ralph Fiennes my luminous acting partner. Fernando Meirelles our director who is brimming over with such humanity and our dignified sensitive producer, Simon Channing Williams, and of course, John le Carr , who wrote this unflinching, angry story. And he really paid tribute to the people who are willing to risk their own lives to fight injustice. And they're greater men and women than I. But thank you, thank you so much. Thank you. It means, thank you in penguins. I'd like to dedicate this statuette to all the children in the world who saw that movie. In 2041, they will decide to ruin you or not, the treaty that protects Antartica. I will, maybe, the "March of the Penguins" will inspire them. Sorry for my English. Looking out on these tuxedos tonight, it's like seeing the movie again. Thank you for this homage. Thank you very much. Goodbye. Thank you. Thank you. Attention must be paid, indeed. I'd like to dedicate this award to Norman Corwin, I hope you're watching tonight and I hope your words last forever. I'd like to thank Sheila Nevins, I'd like to thank my wife, Susie, and my producing partner here, Corinne Marrinan. Thank you, Eric. We'd also like to thank our families, mothers, fathers, Amy. Mark Herzog, and HBO, thank you very much. And I'd like to thank the Academy for seating me next to George Clooney at the Nominees Luncheon. Well, thank you very, very much. I'm really lucky to share this award tonight with a really lovely, lovely woman, our set decorator, Gretchen Rau, who unfortunately couldn't be with us here tonight. She asked me to read a little note. Gretchen wishes she could be here with all of you. She thanks everyone. In the films she's collaborated with in work and her life. She loves you all. Gretchen, our thoughts and prayers are with you tonight. I'm sure Gretchen would also like to thank our brilliant director, Rob Marshall, because this really is his movie. Every single frame of it. So thank you for letting us be part of that. And I want to thank my team, my whole crew, led by the team of Tomas Voth, John Hoskins, Clyde Zimmerman, thank you very much. And thank you to my agent, Sandra Marsh who got me here. Thank you. Thank you so much, members of the Academy. I'm so proud to have work in this movie "Brokeback Mountain." A movie that once again showed us that love is what makes us all very similar, in spite that we can be so different. I want to thank a few people. I want to thank Ang Lee for his vision, his support, his guidance. I want to thank Diana Ossana, Larry McMurtry, Annie Proulx for their inspiration. James Schamus, and David Linde, everybody at Focus. Kathy Nelson. Robert Messinger at First Artists, my coproducer and brother Anibal Kerpel. My orchestrater, David Campbell, Bob Bernstein, Ron Goldstein. I want to thank my family, my wife Alejandra, my kids Anna, Luna and Don Juan, and last but not least, I want to dedicate this to my mother, a mi madre, to my country, Argentina, and to all the latinos. Para todos Latinos, muchas gracias, thank you. Oh, there it is. We would like to thank the Academy. We'd like to thank the amazing filmmaker Peter Jackson, Carol Cunningham, Jan Blenkin, Fran Walsh and my mom, Katherine. I want to thank my mother for giving me unconditional support when I chose this crazy career. You questioned me only once. Are you sure you don't want to be a doctor? Yes, mom, I'm sure. I love you. I'd like to thank our tremendously amazing talented crew back at Park Road Post in Wellington, New Zealand, what a great job to everyone. My mother, this is for you. My wife, Joanne, and my dear kids, Steven and Lisa. Thank you. To the rock that is my family, and to the great production sound crew. Go Kiwis, thank you. We want to thank Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh for their spectacular vision which is matched only by their spectacular generosity of spirit and heart. We are so proud to stand here and accept this award on behalf of our whole crew who continue to prove that with unconditional creative collaboration, the impossible becomes possible. And in particular, we want to thank the amazing Brent Burge, and the one of a kind Andy Serkis who brought the voice of Kong to life. I'd like to especially thank Chris Ward, Martin Kwok, and Pippa Anderson. And the amazing Peter's Park Road, and the guy that paved the way for us, Murray Spivack, the original sound designer for the 1933 vision of "King Kong." Murray, Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh, my. Hey, we want to thank Keith Young our choreographer. And the whole Sony Records, Lisa Ellis, our moms, our whole families. Thank you, Jesus. And for giving us a chance, the Academy. We love the Academy. You know what I'm saying? Gil Cates. Everybody. I got plenty of time. Ain't nobody else. I want to thank everybody. Yeah. Donnie Einer. Once again our families. Ludacris. What's up? Going down. George Clooney, my favorite man, he showed me love when I first met him. We bringing the house. We out of here. Memphis, Tennessee! God bless Africa. Wow. I have a speech, it's in my pocket, but that thing says 38 seconds. But mine's way too long. Go to tsotsi.com and there is a huge long list of people. Because I'm accepting this not for myself. This is for best foreign language film. It is sitting right there to start with. Please stand up Presley Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto. My two fantastic young leads. Put the cameras on them, please. Viva Africa. Viva. I've got ten seconds. Ten seconds I just want to thank my fellow nominees who I've become deep friends with. We may have foreign language films, but our stories are the same as your stories. They're about the human heart and emotion. It says please wrap. Thank you so much. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you. First of all, I'd like to wish my father in North Carolina a happy 83rd birthday. Secondly, Paul Haggis, a force of nature. Thank you, Paul. I would not be here without Paul. I would not be here without Cathy Schulman, and I want to thank both of you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to Bob Yari, Lions Gate for seeing a powerful film. Thanks to my assistant Sean Hubbert, 9, Jesus. Thanks to... I have to name some friends of mine who have supported me over the years. Donna, Bruce, Bob, Raq, Leslie, I can't remember any of them. And my girlfriend, Looloo who has gotten me through the last three weeks, and I've been a bull, believe me. And last but not least, my editing partner. Don't start the music, I can see you. My editing partner, my film partner, my movie buddy, my son who makes my life wonderful every day, Wyatt. And I'd like to dedicate my award to a friend, the memory of a friend, Dan Petrie Sr. who passed away last year. Thank you very much. Thank you. Wow, I'm in a category with some great, great, great actors. Fantastic actors, and I'm overwhelmed. I'm really overwhelmed. I'd like to thank Bill Vince and Caroline Baron. And Danny Rosett, the film wouldn't have happened without them. I'd like to thank Sarah Fargo, I'd like to thank Sara Murphy. I'd like to thank Emily Ziff, my friends, my friends, my friends. I'd like to thank Bennett Miller, and Danny Futterman, who I love, I love, I love, I love. You know, the Van Morrison song, I love, I love, I love, and he keeps repeating it like that. And I'd like to thank Tom Bernard, and Michael Barker. Thank you so much. And my mom's name is Marilyn O'Connor, and she's here tonight. And I'd like if you see her tonight to congratulate her. Because she brought up four kids alone, and she deserves a congratulations for that. Oh, I'm at the party, mom, you know? And she took me to my first play, and she stayed up with me and watched the NCAA final four. And my passions, her passions became my passions. And, you know, be proud, mom, because I'm proud of you, and we're here tonight, and it's so good. Thank you. Oh, God, what an amazing feeling. Terrifying but amazing. Mom, I know you're up there somewhere. I think. Rob Marshall, I know you're here, too. I want to thank you for, you know, like we said earlier, this was your vision, and we feel like we were part of it. And you know, I hope we made you proud, and you know, to Sony Pictures for being brave enough to make this movie. And our great producers. My beautiful wife, who is over there, who is my inspiration, and my muse. To our beautiful boy at home, Axel, who was born during the making of this movie, and it will be a beautiful part of my life forever. Thank you. Oh, my goodness. I never thought I'd be here my whole life growing up in Tennessee. I want to say Johnny Cash and June Carter had a wonderful tradition of honoring other artists and musicians and singers, and I really feel that tradition tonight. It is very important, and I really feel it. So I want to thank the Academy for this incredible honor. I want to say thank you to so many people who helped me create this role. Everyone at Fox, Cathy Konrad, James Keach, for producing the film. A very special thank you to Jim Mangold who directed the film and also wrote this character. Who is a real woman. Who has dignity and honor, and fear, and courage, and she's a real woman. And I really appreciate that. It was an incredible gift that you gave me. So thank you. And T-Bone Burnett for helping me realize my lifelong dream of being a country music singer. Thank you T-Bone. And I want to say thank you to Joaquin Phoenix who just put his heart and soul into this performance. His commit ment and passion for this character and for this performance was just remarkable, and I feel so lucky to have gone on this journey with you. I am so blessed to have my family here tonight. My mother and my father are here. And I just want to say thank you so much for everything, for being so proud of me. It didn't matter if I was making my bed or making a movie. They never hesitated to say how proud they were of me. And that means so very much to a child. So thank you, Mom and Dad. I want to say thank you to my wonderful husband and my two children who should be going to bed. And thank you for loving me so much and supporting me. And I want to say that, my grandmother was one of the biggest inspirations in my life. She taught me how to be a real woman, to have strength and self respect, and to never give those things away. And those are a lot of qualities I saw in June Carter. People used to ask June how she was doing, and she used to say -- "I'm just trying to matter." And I know what she means. You know, I'm just trying to matter, and live a good life and make work that means something to somebody. And you have all made me feel that I might have accomplished that tonight. So thank you so much for this honor. Thank you to the Academy. The duty of art is to send light into the darkness of men's hearts. Thank you Annie Proulx, she's right over there, for trusting us with your brilliant short story. Thank you to Ang Lee, and our brilliant cast for breathing life into our words. Thank you to Universal, Focus Features, Bill Pohlad, Michael Costigan, my dear friend. My good friend Mark Poirier, for giving me "The New Yorker" that had that short story in it. And thank you to my writing partner, Larry. And thank you for giving him this award as well. Since somehow I unaccountably failed to thank my brilliant partner Diana at the Golden Globes, I'm going to rattle off all the attributes I was going to thank her for at the Golden Globes. Smarts, guts, drive, good judgment, tenacity, loyalty, and generosity. That's the kind of virtues you need in the rough strife of movie making. I'd like to thank also James and Curtis, my son and grandson, with love and pride. I thank our loyal lawyers, Robert Thorne and Greg Redlitz. And finally I'm going to thank all the booksellers of the world. Remember, "Brokeback Mountain" was a book before it was a movie. From the humblest paperback exchange to the masters of the great bookshops of the world. All are contributors to the survival of the culture of the book. A wonderful culture, which we mustn't lose. Thank you. Just before, during the intermission, intermission, actually the commercial break. My sister walked up to me and gave me the ring, my mom's ring. Saying she was here with me. And she really messed me up, Jo, thanks a lot. Bertolt Brecht said that art is not a mirror, but it is a hammer. In which -- not a mirror to hold up to society, but a hammer in which to shape it. So I guess this is ours. Bobby and I have had the good fortune to speak to a lot of -- I'm so nervous. To win a few of these awards recently. So we've thanked everybody we want to thank. So tonight, I just want to thank those people who take big risks in their daily lives, when there aren't cameras rolling. When there aren't people there to applaud. And the people out there who stand up for peace, and justice, and against intolerance. So I dedicate this to them. Thank you very much. Wow. I wish I knew how to quit you. First of all, I want to thank two people who don't even exist. Or I should say, they do exist, because of the imagination of Annie Proulx and the artistry of Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Their names are Ennis and Jack. And they taught all of us who made "Brokeback Mountain" so much about not just all the gay men and women whose love is denied by society, but just as important, the greatness of love itself. Thank you. Thank you members of the Academy for this tremendous honor. And to everyone at Focus Features, in particular, David Linde, James Schamus, thank you for your love and support. To Bill Pohlad, Tory Metzger, Ira Schreck, Joe Dapello, many thanks, and a special thanks to David Lee. And thanks to my wife, Jane Lin, and my boys, Han and Mason. I love you. On "Brokeback Mountain," I felt you with me every day. I just did this movie after my father passed away. More than any other, I made this for him. And finally, to my mother and family, and everybody in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, my gosh. Oh, thank you so, so much. What an amazing night. Thank you to all of the members of the Academy for embracing. Can you mention them by name? Every single one. For embracing our film, about love and about tolerance, about truth. Thank you to the people all around the world who have been touched by this message. And we are humbled by the other nominees in this category. You have made this year one of the most breathtaking, and stunning, maverick years in American cinema, thank you. We'd like to thank Lions Gate. Boy, did you do a job. Jon Feltheimer, and everyone in every office of that building, and we would not be here today if it were not for Tom Ortenberg, and for Sarah Greenberg, thank you. Thank you also to our financiers Andy Reimer, Jan Korbelin, Marina Grasic, Bob Yari. To our producers, our partners, Mark Harris, and Bob Yari, and Don Cheadle, and Bobby Moresco. Thank you. Don Cheadle, our partner, we wish he could be here with us tonight. Thank you everybody. Thank you to my husband, to my wife, to all of our families. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. I've got a lot to say, and they've got a clock on me. I want to thank everybody for this. The Academy. I was really honored and moved to accept this award. When the news first came to me about it, I was caught kind of off guard. I always thought this type of award meant that it was over. And then it dawned on me, that I was busy in rehearsals on a play, that I'm doing in London right now. It opened last night, Arthur Miller's last play "Resurrection Blues." I was doing an interview for my new film, that I just finished "Prairie Home Companion" which will come out in the summer. And I realized that it's not over. Of course, I was happy and thrilled and thrilled to accept this award. And I look at it as a nod to all of my films, because to me, I've just made one long film. And I know some of you have liked some of the sections, and others, you -- any way, it's all right. And I want to thank all of the people that have worked on all of my pictures so hard. And the brilliant actors, the amazing crews. I can't name them all, so I'm going to name a doctor that is taking care of me, Jody Kaplan. So she represents everybody. And who have supported me and made it possible. I've always said that making a film is like making a sand castle at the beach. You invite your friends and you get them down there, and you say you build this beautiful structure, several of you. Then you sit back and watch the tide come in. Have a drink, watch the tide come in, and the ocean just takes it away. And that sand castle remains in your mind. Now I've built about 40 of them, and I never tire of it. No other filmmaker has gotten a better shake than I have. I'm very fortunate in my career. I've never had to direct a film I didn't choose or develop. I love filmmaking. It has given me an entree to the world, and the human condition and for that I'm forever grateful. Finally I'd like to thank my family. You're all up there, all of them, almost. For their love and support. And through the years. And most importantly, i want to thank and applaud my wife, Kathryn Reed Altman, without whom I wouldn't be here today. I love you Trixie. Thank you. Oh -- one more thing. I'm here, I think, under kind of false pretenses. And I think I have to get -- become straight with you. Ten years ago, 11 years ago, I had a heart transplant. A total heart transplant. I got the heart of I think a young woman who is about in her late 30's. And so by that kind of calculation, you may be giving me this award, too early. Because I think I've got about 40 years left on it. And I intend to use it. Thank you very much. Thank you.